A veteran gun store owner from Philadelphia fatally shot a burglar in the head after he tried to break into his store early on Tuesday, police said.
The shooting happened at Firing Line Inc., a gun store located in the Pennsport section of the city. The owner of the business spotted three or four burglars while monitoring his surveillance cameras, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told FOX29.
The burglars reportedly used bolt cutters to cut the lock on the front gate of the store. A pair of cutters was later found by detectives, Small confirmed.
Once the shop owner saw that the burglars managed to breach his shop by breaking his window, he shot one of them in the head after the burglar pointed his firearm towards the shop owner, police said.
“The store owner fired his own weapon—striking the one perpetrator at least one time in the head and he collapsed, dropping his gun between his legs,” Small said.
A semi-automatic handgun was recovered by detectives near the man. Philadelphia emergency medical responders pronounced the burglar dead at the scene. He was reportedly a male in his 20s.
The other two or three burglars quickly ran from the scene following the shooting. Nothing was taken from the store and the owner was not injured, police said.
The owner said he had remained inside his store overnight for the last few days, as there was another incident with a burglar attempting to break in.
Investigators said the surveillance video will assist police in the investigation, and the gun store owner is currently cooperating with detectives.
Store owners in South Philadelphia have been protecting their businesses from potential looters, who have spread across the city in the past few days.
Across the United States, numerous lootings and property destruction have been reported following the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for nearly 9 minutes during an arrest.
What was meant to be peaceful nationwide protests to honor Floyd have turned out violent and chaotic.
The former officer and suspect in the case, Derek Chauvin, was arrested last week. He has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin was held at Ramsey County Jail before being taken to the Hennepin County Jail on Sunday.
